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Post by optimalist on Feb 14, 2011 6:23:58 GMT -5
I started "studying" Kabbalah with Dr. Laitman's group after watching the video at perceivingreality.com. They seem sincere and authentic mainly because everything is available for free. Students have the option to purchase the books, but they are also free to download.
It's just that after everything I've gone through with the lessons and the reading. I DON'T GET IT. I've given up. Gone back. Trying again and again. I'm lost. There's something there, I just can't "attain" it.
Help.
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Post by zendancer on Feb 14, 2011 8:48:40 GMT -5
I started "studying" Kabbalah with Dr. Laitman's group after watching the video at perceivingreality.com. They seem sincere and authentic mainly because everything is available for free. Students have the option to purchase the books, but they are also free to download. It's just that after everything I've gone through with the lessons and the reading. I DON'T GET IT. I've given up. Gone back. Trying again and again. I'm lost. There's something there, I just can't "attain" it. Help. Optimalist: What do you understand, and what don;t you understand? At one time I studied all of the major mystical traditions, including Kaballah, and they are all pointing to the same thing--oneness. Oneness, however, cannot be grasped by the mind, so it can't be understood intellectually. It has to be understood through the body. Every human being is one-with the truth, with God, with the Absolute, with whatever we want to call IT, but to realize that fact requires directly interacting with reality rather than thinking ABOUT it. Did your studies discuss the importance of not-knowing (with the mind)? |
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Post by Peter on Feb 14, 2011 9:02:11 GMT -5
Hi Optimalist, welcome to the board. I don't think we've had much Kabbalah discussion so far. I suspect that - here - you may get told that "there's nothing to attain and no-one to attain it".  What was it that drew you to Kabbalah - the numbers or the Hebrew? Or was it the numbers in the Hebrew, or was it the geometry? I wrote a simple Khabbala Calculator a while ago which just does an A=1, B=2, C=3 conversion. So it's not real Kabbalah, but it's fun for typing in people's names sometimes and see if there are any coincidences. I notice that your birthday (in the same year - 1973) is 7 days away from mine. 7 being enough of a perfect number to push me into responding. Newton thought so anyway. Although apparently 6 is a perfect number. A few things came to mind in rapid succession which you're welcome to take or leave: 1. Are you giving yourself extra work by trying to understand a tradition that only really makes sense in another language? 2. If it's the numbers you're interested in, maybe just relax into the whole mystery. Have you seen the movie Pi by Darren Aronofsky? Something that fascinated me was that, you know how we have base 2 (binary), base 10 (decimal) then at base 16 (hex) we start using the letters A - F? So at base 36 you need to use all 26 letters of the alphabet and then all words directly represent numbers. Which means that some words in whatever language you want to work in will represent prime numbers. So you can start looking for prime words. Mind blowing, Optimalist Prime. "Zen" is apparently a Prime word, as is "Occult". 3. Maybe you're trying to hard. How about getting out for a walk and see if that "something" appears in the world you see around you. Words are an abstraction, perhaps you can see "it" directly? 4. Perhaps the time just isn't right. If and when it's meant to come, it'll come. Sure it's worth pushing and trying (you get nothing for nothing) but eventually you have to ask yourself if you're just bashing your head against a wall? Anyway, you're welcome to just chuck all that against a wall and see if any of it sticks. Take care, Peter |
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Post by Peter on Feb 14, 2011 9:19:39 GMT -5
Do any numbers jump out at you? Many people report looking at the clock just as the time changes to 11:11. Mine is 42. Pops up everwhere - eg I noticed that I've just hit 420 posts and Zendancer is on 42 Karma points. Talking of perfect and prime numbers, there was a Dr Who episode called "42" which explained what Happy Prime numbers are. Which goes to show that Television can be both entertaining and educational.  |
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Post by optimalist on Feb 14, 2011 11:26:37 GMT -5
Thanks for responding. I mentioned Laitman as reference to their version of the Kabbalah. zendancer It's not about understanding as "knowing" that comes from experiencing. To cross the "machsom" and experience the spiritual worlds. Peter1. The school explains that The Zohar speaks in the language of branches where words reflect concepts not of the physical world but entirely of the spiritual world. 2. My only concern is "going beyond" or "enlightenment" or transcendence or interdimensional travel. 3. I've gone out walking long enough. My last real job was 10 years ago. 4. "Perhaps the time just isn't right. If and when it's meant to come, it'll come. Sure it's worth pushing and trying (you get nothing for nothing) but eventually you have to ask yourself if you're just bashing your head against a wall?" -- which boils down to this. EVERYONE has this advice as a last resort. EVERYONE who I trust enough to listen to. They keep saying, "Trust." Just enjoy the ride. And, of course, I had a laughing bout about this today, that "there's nothing else I can really do except accept everything and enjoy." So... after reading Tolle, I focus on the present and accept, inject happiness in what I do, and be enthusiastic as much as I can in the things that I hold true. |
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Post by michaelsees on Feb 14, 2011 11:37:48 GMT -5
Hi,
I found the Kabbalah to be very fascinating. Many years ago I bought a hard copy of the Zohar from the Kabbalah Center the same one Madonna goes to. I took a few courses about how life happens to be and I love it. My limit of practicing has to do with scanning the letters.
Peace
Michael
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Post by optimalist on Feb 14, 2011 11:38:36 GMT -5
Numbers. I like 1.
I read somewhere that 11:11 had a pandimensional significance. 42 is the answer to life, love and everything. 8 is infinity. I enjoy seeing patterns in phone numbers and dates like it's exciting to wait for 11/11/11 11:11. But, in general, numbers have no palpable effect in my life.
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Post by zendancer on Feb 14, 2011 12:06:36 GMT -5
Optimalist: I responded in the way that I did because I wasn't sure which aspect of Kaballah attracted you. Some people get into the numbers and relational stuff. Some people are interested in how the Ein sof manifests through different planes of existence (itsiluth, beriah, yetzirah, assiah), etc. In your second post you indicated that you have read Tolle and are primarily interested in transcendence, enlightenment, going beyond, and interdimensional travel. This puts a different light on things.
Whether we're talking about Rabinnical mysticism, Sufi mysticism, Christian mysticism, or any other variety of mysticism all of the words are pointing to something beyond words. That "something" is always here and now manifesting "just like this." However, do not expect the truth to look any different than what you are seeing now. There must be a willingness to "stay here now" without any expectation, in order to see more deeply into the nature of what's going on. Simply stay focused upon what you can see and hear and leave reflective thoughts behind. Be like a small child in your daily activities, and totally lose yourself in whatever activity the body/mind is pursuing. Whatever you are doing is what the Absolute is doing, but in order to know this through the body requires sustained beingness without reflection. "You" will never know the truth; the truth becomes obvious only when "you" cease to be separate from the action. Cheers.
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alpha
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by alpha on Feb 14, 2011 16:06:39 GMT -5
Numbers. I like 1. I read somewhere that 11:11 had a pandimensional significance. 42 is the answer to life, love and everything. 8 is infinity. I enjoy seeing patterns in phone numbers and dates like it's exciting to wait for 11/11/11 11:11. But, in general, numbers have no palpable effect in my life. |
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Post by frankshank on Feb 14, 2011 16:39:22 GMT -5
Numbers. I like 1. I read somewhere that 11:11 had a pandimensional significance. 42 is the answer to life, love and everything. 8 is infinity. I enjoy seeing patterns in phone numbers and dates like it's exciting to wait for 11/11/11 11:11. But, in general, numbers have no palpable effect in my life. My name adds up to 100!  |
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Post by optimalist on Feb 14, 2011 18:04:50 GMT -5
Some people are interested in how the Ein sof manifests through different planes of existence (itsiluth, beriah, yetzirah, assiah), etc. In your second post you indicated that you have read Tolle and are primarily interested in transcendence, enlightenment, going beyond, and interdimensional travel. This puts a different light on things. Whether we're talking about Rabinnical mysticism, Sufi mysticism, Christian mysticism, or any other variety of mysticism all of the words are pointing to something beyond words. That "something" is always here and now manifesting "just like this." However, do not expect the truth to look any different than what you are seeing now. There must be a willingness to "stay here now" without any expectation, in order to see more deeply into the nature of what's going on. Simply stay focused upon what you can see and hear and leave reflective thoughts behind. Be like a small child in your daily activities, and totally lose yourself in whatever activity the body/mind is pursuing. Whatever you are doing is what the Absolute is doing, but in order to know this through the body requires sustained beingness without reflection. "You" will never know the truth; the truth becomes obvious only when "you" cease to be separate from the action. Cheers. Thank you for this reminder. I found this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdzPp9cRKN0 |
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Post by zendancer on Feb 14, 2011 20:25:14 GMT -5
Yes, Gangaji is saying it perfectly in that clip.
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Post by optimalist on Feb 15, 2011 20:07:07 GMT -5
Yes, Gangaji is saying it perfectly in that clip. So then... the student described in this lesson is me, but I have no teacher to go to. |
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Post by zendancer on Feb 16, 2011 10:37:01 GMT -5
You don't need an external teacher. The Supreme Teacher is within you. Simply stop and be still.
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What was it that drew you to Kabbalah - the numbers or the Hebrew? Or was it the numbers in the Hebrew, or was it the geometry? I wrote a simple 
